Road closure coming soon, click here for full details.
Norfolk campaign to S.C.R.A.P. fly tipping…details here
Stargazer information here from CPRE
Please keep an eye out for any unusual activity, remember that if you spot anything suspicious the police can be contacted by phoning 101.
Anti-crime message from South Norfolk Police…click here
Ken Munro is the news editor. Please let him know about village news and events via Contact Us on the main menu or on 07880801674.
The DIARY – Click here
How good (or bad!) is your broadband….help is here!
Next up on SHOTESHAM SCREEN on Friday 1st March will be The Children Act. This moving film stars Emma Thompson as an eminent High Court judge presiding with wisdom and compassion over ethically complex cases of family law. It becomes particularly difficult when she is asked to rule on the case of Adam, a brilliant boy who is three months from his 18th birthday and is refusing the blood transfusion that will save his life. The venue, as always, is Trinity Hall at 7.30pm, tickets £5 each and further details from Raz on 01508 550122 or razwoollacott@gmail.com.
Room with a Brew! Our new community cafe got off to a great start on 15th Jan with lots of villagers turning up to share the, coffee and chat.
The cafe will be open in Trinity Hall between 10.30 & 12pm on the 3rd Tuesday of each month, 19th Feb, 19th Mar, 16th April, everyone welcome so why not pop in for a brew.
The Shotesham Quiz makes its long awaited return on Sat 23rd February with a slight change to the itinerary. The quiz, run as always by our very own top quality quizmasters, is the same but with tickets priced at only £3.50 per person. But this year it’s a BYOF (bring your own food) evening (and drinks of course), with an interval halfway through for eating (and training for the second half!). Venue is Trinity Hall, 7pm for a 7.30 start, this is always a busy event and spaces are limited, so book yours early to avoid disappointment! For tickets contact Ken on 07880801674 or resotan@aol.com.
Following its success first time around, Sound Bath returns to Trinity Hall on Sunday 10th March 2 – 4pm. Sounds and vibrations to create deep relaxation followed by tea and cake, please bring comfortable clothing and blanket, cushion and mat. Click here for photos
Sound baths have been used for years to promote good health physically and mentally, in general a sound bath will leave you feeling more grounded and relaxed. Tickets are £12 and places are limited, to book or for more information contact laurawoollacott@gmail.com or 550122
April dates for the diary, the SVA AGM will be on Wednesday 10th, Tour de Shotesham bike ride on Sunday 14th, and Easter Funday on 22nd, details will appear here soon and in next month’s Contact.
Christmas Event reports….
Wreath Making 2018….click here for photos
The annual children’s Christmas party was on Friday 21st December, where 17 children and a smattering of mums and dads had a fine time and a visit from Santa. Click on photo for more.
Christmas Eve saw a large turn out of almost 200 people for our carol concert at All Saints Church. Carols around the Christmas tree 🎄were excellently accompanied by our very own guest brass band, and everyone enjoyed mince pies and mulled wine in the Church as we listened to the kids hand 🔔 ringing and carols ably conducted by Ted, with the best rendition ever of 12 Days of Christmas! A big thanks to all who helped and especially to our visiting band, a lot to live up to next time! Click on the photo below for more photos and some videos. Should also mention that the collection made at the concert raised over £280 for Norfolk Lowland Search and Rescue team (NORLSAR), much appreciated by the team and by Shotesham resident Henry Walker who is a volunteer member of that team. Click here for a message from Henry
New Years Eve Fun Run was indeed great fun with 20+ participants including a number of kids and several dogs, and yours truly who ran one of the three laps (honest that was what I had planned)! With a little help (well quite a lot really) from the guru, we’ve now figured out the upgraded system so photos are here to be seen! Many thanks to Matt Sykes, who remains a good friend of the village, for the organisation and prizes. 
The outcome of the Shotesham Conservation Area consultation has been announced with the revised boundary being adopted. Main areas affected are to the south end of the village on Brooke Road and to the north end along The Common, in addition to a couple of smaller areas in between. If you / your property has been directly affected you should have been contacted directly by South Norfolk Council, in the meantime the revised boundary and other info can still be found at this link.
Walking Group. Following on from our seal walk (photo below), 10 people and 9 dogs explored the ‘wrong side’ of Whittlingham on 27th Jan, but no photies, so previous one remains for the present.
The next walk is on Sunday 24th Feb, details in diary and don’t forget the new standard meeting time – 10.15 at Trinity.
All Saints Bell Project……update.
On Wednesday 16th Jan we said goodbye to the bells and their framework when, in line with the schedule, they left for the foundry in Loughborough for refurbishment. Click on photo to see more…
The remaining schedule now reads: –
Tower work commences 25th Feb
Installation commences 25th March for 3-4 weeks.
Bob says ‘thanks to everyone who has been assisting the bell hanger in this project and thus significantly reducing our costs. The remaining work will be supervised at all times and insurance cover will be in place, if anyone else would like to help and can spare some time during these periods, please contact me at hill.cottage@btinternet.com.’ For more information, click here
Community information….
Norfolk County Council info regarding the roundabout at the A140 Hempnall crossroads click here. Also, results of last year’s Children’s Services consultation here.
South Norfolk older people’s forum, details here.
For assistance with power cuts, please click this link from UK Power Networks
Thinking Fuel – If you feel you may be paying too much for your oil, Community Action Norfolk (CAN) have a scheme that may assist. Click here to see how you might save and here to see how it works, or go directly to the CAN website for more details.
Our local policeman is PC 1200 Stu Sansbury who now holds the position of Poringland Beat Manager, Stu can be contacted on;
• SNTPoringland@norfolk.pnn.police.uk
• Sansburys@norfolk.pnn.police.uk
• Direct Dial to Poringland PS: 01603 276207
Local Police info – January Newsletter
News from Norfolk Police Commissioner – December Newsletter
Selected older news items are retained on the “News archive” page)